Tucson, AZ – The Pima Community College men’s soccer team will begin the 2014 season ranked 19th in the NJCAA Division I top 20 preseason poll.

The Aztecs are coming off their 18th straight appearance in the Region I, Division I tournament and their 10th straight appearance in the Region I, Division I semifinals game under coach David Cosgrove. They finished last with a 14-7-1 overall record.

Pima will open the season on Friday, Aug. 22 at Arizona Western College in Yuma.

F. Ann Rodriguez, the Pima County Recorder, is issuing a Stranger Danger advisory to all voters in Pima County. DONOTgive your voted early ballots to a stranger. This warning includes a stranger who is at your front door.

Motorists traveling on State Route 86 west of Tucson will encounter lane restrictions on Saturday while the Arizona Department of Transportation paves the westbound shoulder of the highway on the Tohono O’odham Nation.

TUCSON WATER DIRECTOR: SUFFICIENT WATER SUPPLY THROUGH 2050; PLANNING FOR FUTURE - While Tucson Water Director Alan Forrest says the city has enough water to meet demands for the next 36 years, he also says it's critical to start planning for the future beyond that point. In a guest opinion in the Arizona Daily Star, Forrest says "To ensure longer-term supply goals, and to address the threat of intermittent shortages on the Colorado River, we must continue to develop additional renewable water supplies." One of those resources is expanding the use of recycled purified water to integrate into the drinking water system, similar to the way Tucson Water currently blends Colorado River with potable water by recharging it into the ground. "Additional purification processes will be included to ensure the water being delivered to our customers meets all drinking-water standards," Forrest writes. "Throughout this process, we will continue to provide information and ask for input from you — our customers." Read the Recycled Water Master Plan Executive Summary.
TUCSON'S LINCOLN PARK TO HOST JENNIE FINCH SOFTBALL CAMP - The City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department, Visit Tucson, and Pima Community College will host the Jennie Finch Softball Camp at the Lincoln Park Softball Complex, 8116 E. Escalante Road, Nov. 8-9. The camp is open to all girls in the third grade and up. Former UA Softball standout Jennie Finch and her Olympic and professional softball teammates will offer two full days of personal instruction covering all aspects of softball. Advanced registration is required and participation is limited for the fee-based camp, which follows a successful ASA 18U Girls’ Fastpitch Class A West National Championship tournament that was in Tucson last week. Of the 17 teams that participated, 12 teams traveled from outside of Tucson, and seven of them from out of state. On Championship Sunday, the Tucson Scramblers defeated the West Coast Predators twice to claim the title as the ASA/USA 18U A West National Champion. Read more details in the news release from Tucson Parks and Recreation.

RIDE THE STREETCAR TO 2nd SATURDAYS DOWNTOWN - The monthly, free, family-friendly event this Saturday begins with gallery shows at 9 a.m. and entertainment later in the day. At 6:30 p.m., the main stage at Scott Avenue and Congress Street features musical groups, and there are plenty of activities for children. Food from vendors and downtown eateries will be available. This will be the first 2nd Saturdays with the streetcar in operation, so you can park not only in the downtown area, but at the University of Arizona, and along 4th Avenue to catch a ride downtown (regular streetcar fares apply - see story below). There are 11,000 parking spaces along the 3.9-mile route. Street parking downtown is free on Saturdays, or you can pay to park in one of the garages.

FARE OPTIONS FOR STREETCAR - There are many fare options available to ride the streetcar. Cash is not accepted on the car, but you can use it at machines at the stops to buy a $4 one-day pass. In addition, you can buy SunGO passes online or at regular Sun Tran merchants. Discount fares are available for certain students, low-income residents, seniors and disabled passengers. University of Arizona faculty, staff, and students will be able to ride the streetcar for free for 30 days beginning August 15, if they sign up for a special U-pass.Watch How to Ride videoCómo viajar video

Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez would like to remind Pima County voters who are not registered as one of the major political parties (otherwise known as Independent voters or Party Not Designated voters) that they have can choose ONE political party ballot to vote for the Primary election. They can choose to vote either a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Green party ballot.

Sun Tran officials and representatives from Teamsters Local 104 have announced a tentative agreement on a new contract. Both sides have agreed to extend the current contract until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, August 7, 2014, to allow the members the opportunity to vote on the final contract proposal. The public can expect business as usual through August 7. The current contract extension was to expire at midnight Wednesday night.

A series of meeting will be held for union members to vote on Thursday, August 7, 2014.

CITY FINALIZES ANNEXATION OF 163 ACRES ON SOUTHEAST SIDE - In a unanimous vote yesterday. the Mayor and Tucson City Council adopted the final ordinance for the annexation of Century Park Marketplace. The annexation includes approximately 163 acres at the intersection of Kolb and Valencia Roads. The site has the potential for development of 1.3 million square feet of retail space, which would generate construction sales tax, retail sales tax, and impact fees. "Annexation is a great opportunity for the City of Tucson, because it allows the City to collect additional sales tax, control growth, and capture more of the state-shared revenue," Annexation Project Manager Mike Czechowski told NewsNet.

MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA RULES CHANGE - The Mayor and Tucson City Council yesterday voted unanimously to hold a public hearing to discuss recommendations from the City's Planning Commission to allow home delivery of medical marijuana to qualifying patients, extend dispensary hours, and expand limits on "infusion kitchens" that produce marijuana-infused food products. The public hearing on the proposed amendments will be held Sept. 9 during the Mayor and Council meeting, and the new rules could take effect the next day if approved. Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
PIMA COUNTY APPROVES PLAN TO TRAP, STERILIZE, RELEASE FERAL CATS - With the intention of reducing the number of feral cats, the Pima County Board of Supervisors yesterday unanimously approved a plan to capture, sterilize, vaccinate and release cats who live in the wild. The $1.5 million Community Cats program is a partnership between the Pima Animal Care Center, the Best Friends Animal Society, and PetSmart Charities. The goal is to sterilize 5,000 cats in each of the next three years. Animal-care workers want to decrease the euthanasia rate of cats by about 30 percent. Pima County will contribute $600,000 to pay for the spay and neuter surgeries. Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
JOB OPPORTUNITY: TUCSON WATER CHEMIST - Do your conversations include discussions of Solid Phase Extraction methods, volatile organic compounds and GC/MS analysis? Then a career as a Tucson Water Chemist may be perfect for you. The utility is looking for a highly-qualified individual with a chemistry background to analyze drinking water, surface water, and wastewater utilizing EPA-approved methods. The application deadline is Aug. 17. Read the job description.
BEWARE OF BABY RATTLESNAKES THAT DON'T RATTLE - The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center is urging hikers, gardeners and others to be on the lookout for deadly baby rattlesnakes who don't rattle until they first shed their skins. That makes them particularly dangerous, the Center says, because they can't warn people and animals of danger. Also of note, adult rattlers don't always give warning before striking.

CITY OF TUCSON’S RETIREMENT SYSTEM RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE - The Chicago-based Government Finance Officers Association has awarded the City of Tucson a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Tucson Supplemental Retirement System (TSRS). The award, which covers the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2013, is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. It represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. TSRS is under the direction of City of Tucson Pension Administrator Michael Hermanson.

PEDESTRIAN DIVERSION PROGRAM FOR CITATIONS BEING DISCUSSED - A pedestrian advisory subcommittee met yesterday to talk about ways to better educate Tucson pedestrians on how to avoid violations and stay safe. One idea is to give them an opportunity to erase or reduce fines, much like drivers and bicyclists have, by attending a defensive driving course. "We have had people ticketed with fairly expensive fines - low-to-mid hundreds of dollars - and there isn't a way around that," says B.J Cordova, Vice Chair of Tucson's Pedestrian Advisory Committee. "And other than the police officer talking to them, there's not an educational opportunity to learn from that." For now, a diversion/education program for pedestrians is just an idea, Cordova said, similar to programs offered in the state of Oregon. Read more from KVOA.

ELECTRONICS COLLECTION AND PAPER SHREDDING EVENT THIS WEEKEND - The Ward 4 Tucson City Council Office is hosting the shredding and electronics recycling event this Saturday, from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. at 8123 E. Poinciana Dr. The electronics recycling from Desert Metals Recycling will benefit Tucson Clean & Beautiful. Paper shredding from Shred It will benefit the DM-50, a nonprofit, volunteer service organization that supports and funds initiatives to improve the quality of life for the personnel at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Items accepted for free at the joint event include computers, printers, cell phones, stereo equipment, copiers, fax machines, telephones, a single box of paper, and more. There is a $5 charge for computer monitors and anything beyond one box of paper. Read more about the event at Ward 4 Facebook page.